Conveyer for corn-sh ellers



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

P, A. WILLBANKS.

OONVEYER FOR CORN SHELLERS.

No. 550,307. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

@lfi'iness es, In uonior,

9M2 Q. 0 4 Bank 11. Willbahks ANDREW EGRMMFLPNUTU'UNO-WAQIHNBTOILDKZ.

( ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. A. WILLBANKS.

CONVEYER FOR CORN SHELLERS. I

No. 550,307. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

)Xfiinesses, lmlenlor, M Q. (01% v [Fa/74b4, now/M11.

ANDREW BGRANAM. PNOTOUTHO. WASNINETGNJJC UNITED STATES- FRANK A. \VILLBANKS,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF ELKHART, ILLINOIS.

CONVEYER FOR CORN-SHELLERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,307, dated November 26, 1895.

Serial No. 545,909. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. WILL ANKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oonveyers for Corn-Shellers, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable those skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use my said invention.

The purpose of my invention is to provide simple and effective means adapted to convey from the crib or pen to the sheller the corn which is to be shelled, the conveying mech anism being so constructed and arranged relative to the sheller and the crib or pen that when the sheller is set midway of the pen the conveyer will serve to carry the corn from the pen on either side of the sheller, thus obviating the frequent moving and resetting of the sheller, also enabling the sheller to be operated with one man less than has heretofore been employed in the operation of corn-shellers of the class to which my improvement is applicable.

I do not in this application lay claim to'the construction of the corn-sheller proper. I therefore illustrate only so much of the frame of the sheller as is necessary to show the connection of my improved conveyers therewith.

. My invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter particularly described and claimed, and shown in the annexed drawings, to which reference is hereby made, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the complete mechanism. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the complete mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end eleva: tion of the mechanism, the last section of the elevator being removed. Fig. '4 is an enlarged partial vertical section on the line 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial elevation of the two conveyor-sections, the sprocketwheels being removed so as to more clearly illustrate the means by which the sections are hinged together. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached elevation in outline of the arched crosspiece and connected parts and shows an alternative arrangement of the parts, whereby a sprocket chain may be used instead of a belt to drive the conveyer in the upper conveyer-section, also showing how the shaft supported in the arched cross-piece may be transferred from one end to the other of the crosspiece. 7

Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the views.

Secured to the main sills A of the cornsheller are two vertical posts A. Near the upper ends of the posts A is a transverse shaft 0, supported and turning in boxes a, secured to the posts A. Two arms B are connected with the sills A by a rod D, and the arms B turn on the rod. A horizontal crossbar E connects the arms B. An arched crosspiece F is secured to and connects the upper ends of the arms B. The rods B are connected at one end with the standards A, and have at their other end a series of holes I), through which bolts 1) pass and serve to adjust-ably connect the rods B with the arms B, so that the arms may be raised or lowered by setting the bolts 12 in one or the other of holes I) to adjust the position of the section P relative to the sheller-conveyer A as oocasion may require. I In the arched cross-piece F is a central vertical hole f. An arched hanger G has an integral vertical stem g, which fits in the hole f in the cross-piece F. A washer g surrounds the stem g, and a pin 9 passing transversely through the stem g, serves to support the hanger G on the cross-piece F in such manner that the hanger may turn freely on the stem g. 011 the under side of the hanger G are lugs 9 pierced by horizontal holes g adapted to accommodate bolts. 9

The crown-wheel H has a hub h, pierced by a central hole h, through which the stem 9 passes, and the wheel is supported on the collar g", which is integral with the hanger G, and the wheel turns freely on the stem g. The hanger G is pierced by horizontal holes g through which the shaft I passes, and the shaft turns in the holes. The cross-piece F has in each of its members longitudinal holes f adapted to accommodate the shaft K, and the shaft may be fitted to and turn in either one of the holes f. The purpose of this arrangement is to permit the shaft K to be driven by means of a sprocket-Wheel'on the outside of either of the arms B. In practice I have found it necessary to use the shaft K on only one end of the cross-piece F; but it is obvious that two shafts, one at each end of the cross-piece F, may be used without departing from my invention.

To the outer end of the shaft K a sprocketwheel L is secured. A similar sprocket-wheel L is secured to and turns with the shaft C. A sprocket-chain M connects the wheels L and L, and the former drives the latter. A cog-wheel N, secured to the shaft K, meshes with and drives the crown-wheel H, and a cogpinion O, secured to the shaft I, meshes with and is driven by the crown-wheel H.

The sprocket-wheel R is secured to and turns with the shaft 1. v

The conveyers consist of two sections P and P, which may be of any suitable or convenient length, connected with each other and with the hanger G, as hereinafter described.

At the upper end of the section P are hingeblocks P, which are secured to the sides. of the section 1; and connected with the lugs g by the bolts 9 so that the section P has a pivotal connection with the hanger G.

Each section of the conveyer consists of'two side pieces 1) and a bottom piece 19?, securely joined together in any suitable manner. Near each end of each section is atransverse shaft Secured to the central part of each of the shaft-s p is a sprocket-wheel 13 The pulley S is secured to the shaft 19 in the upper end of the section P. A belt 7" connects the pulley R with the pulley S, and the former drives the latter. A sprocket-wheel U is secured to the shaft 13 in the lower end of the section P, and a corresponding sprocket-wheel V is secured to the shaft p in the upper end of the section P. A sprocketchain 41 connects the wheels U and V, and the former drives the latter.

A sprocket-chain 19 provided with projecting fingers 13", connects the wheels 19 in each section and slides on the bottom 19 The chains 19 travel toward the corn-sheller, and as they move along the fingers on the chains engage with the ears of corn in the conveyertroughs and drag the ears upward and discharge them into the lower end of the shellerconveyer or directly into the mouth of the corn-sheller.

The conveyer-section P is connected with the section Pby means of standards P which are secured to the section P. The shafts 19 extend through the sides of the sections P and P and turn in bearings inthe standards P The upper section P of the. con? veyers turns on the upper shaft 19 so that the section P may fold over on the section P for convenience in transportation or for convenience in adjusting the position of the conveyers relative to the corn-pen and the sheller.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated an alternative form of the mechanism operating the conveyers. The mechanism illustrated in this view is identically the same as that shown in Fig. 4., except that a spr0cket-wheel Ris s' ub,-. stituted for the pulleyR; but the relative position of the parts is differentthat is to say,

the shaft K, the sprocket-wheel L, and the cog-pinion N are transposed from the righthand end to the left-hand end of the arched cross-piece F, thus reversing the direction of motion of the crown-wheel, H. hen the mechanism, shown in Fig. 6 is employed, the sprocket-wheel L, instead of being driven by a chain running on the wheel L near the right-hand end of the shaft C, will be driven by a chain running on the wheel L near the left-hand end of the shaft C. A sprocketwheel will be substituted for the pulleyS on the shaft 1)? at the upper end of the section P, and a sprocket-chain will be used to connect this wheel with the wheel R.

It will be seen that if one of the bearings 1 piece.

Furthermore, it is obvious that the mechanism, being reversible, as described,

may be applied to any sheller and may be easily accommodated to the direction of motion of the shaft 0 on the sheller.

In practial operation the corn-sheller is set in front of the center of the pen of corn which is to be shelled. The mechanism of the sheller I is then set in motion, starting the shaft 0 jand its connected sprocket wheels.

The

; sprocket wheel L drives the wheel L by means of the chain M, causing the shaft K to revolve and turn the cog-wheel N in the direction indicated by arrow X in Fig. 2.

The

cog-wheel N meshes with and drives the crown-wheel H, which in turn meshes with r and drives the cog-pinion O, causing the shaft I to revolve and turn with it the pulley R, which by means of the belt 1' drives the pulley and the shaft 19 to which the pulley S is connected, in the direction indicated by the arrow Z. The. sprocket-wheel 19 secured to the shaft, turns with the shaft and drives the conveyer-chain p in the direction indicated by the arrow W. The sprocket-wheel U, secured to the shaft 19 near the lower end of the section P, is connected by the chain 4) with the sprocket-wheel V, and the wheel U drives. thewheel V and the shaft to which it is connected, so as to cause the conveyerchain in the section P to alsomove in the direction indicated by the arrow W in an obvious manner.

When that part of the contents of the cornpen which is adjacent to the lower end of the section P" as first set is conveyed away, the conveyers P P may be swung around on the stem g and made to occupy the position shown by solid lines in Fig. 1 or the position indicated by dotted lines in the same figure, or any intermediate position.

It is obvious, then,that the conveyers have scope suiiicient to enable them to convey all of the contents of a long pen of corn to the sheller without necessitating more than one setting of the sheller. Furthermore, by the use of my improved conveyors the services of one or more men who have heretofore been employed to carry the corn from remote parts of the corn-pen to the mouth of the sheller or to such conveyers as have heretofore been commonly used are dispensed With.

I am aware that conveyer-sections having a swivel connection with the supporting-frame of a corn-sheller have heretofore been used. I therefore do not claim, broadly, the use of such swivel connection, but restrict my claim to the particular form of swivel connection herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a conveyer for corn shellers, an arched cross piece F having a vertical central hole f and lateral extensions provided with holes f, an arched hanger G having a stem g fitting in the vertical hole f of said arched cross piece; also having transverse holes 9 adapted to accommodate a shaft, a washer g fitting around the stem g, a pin g passing through said stem and supporting said arched hanger on the cross piece, a crown wheel supported on the arched hanger and turning on the stem thereof, a shaft K fitting in the hole f" of the arched cross piece, a sprocket and a bevel pinion secured to said shaft, said pinion meshing with and driving said crown wheel, a transverse shaft I supported and turning in the holes 9 in the hanger G, the pulley R and the bevel pinion O secured to the shaft I, said pinion meshing with and being driven by said crown wheel; "in combination with posts A, arms B supporting said arched cross piece, adjusting rods D connecting the arms B with the posts A, a conveyer section supported on the post A and the arms B and provided with a transverse shaft 0, a sprocket wheel L secured to and turning with the shaft 0, a sprocket chain M connecting the sprocket wheel with the sprocket wheel L, a conveyer section or sections connected with the under side of said arched hanger, and provided with an endless conveyer chain adapted to be operated by a belt running on the pulley R, all co-operating substantially as set forth and for the purpose stated.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed, at Elkhart, Illinois, this 9th day of March, 1895.

' FRANK A. WILLBANKS. Witnesses:

GEO. H. BRADY, JOHN L. BRADY. 

